Abraded-yarn production



- Feb. 19, 1957 R. M HENRY ABRADED-YARN PRODUCTION Filed May 19, 1955thee Patented Feb.- 19,. 1957 2,781,555 ABRADED-YARN PRoD crIoNRichard-MacHenr-y, Prospect Park-Pa, assignor to American' ViscoseCorporation, Philadelphia, Pa, a corporation of Delaware Application l tlay 19, 1953, SerialNo. 356,008

6 Claims. (Cl. 19-.64)

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for producing brokenfilament yarn from yarn comprising continuous filaments. The inventionis concerned particularly with the production of multiple-ply yarns ofthe type used as a reinforcing medium for vulcanized products of rubberor rubber-like material.

Many of the yarns that are preferred for the reinforcement of flexiblefluid-impervious goods, such as those yarns comprising continuous rayonfilaments and especially continuous filaments formed from organicresins, examples of which are the polyamides, polyacrylonitrile, andpolyesters (e. g., a polymer of ethylene glycol and dimethylterephthalate), are characterized by filamentary surfaces that aresmooth and unbroken as compared with cotton or other natural staplefiber. An important reason accounting for the superior adhesion of thestaple fiber type yarn to a vulcanizate' is the large number of fiberportions which protrude laterally from the main" body of the yarn. Suchfiber portions are interlockedwith the vulcanizable' material duringvulcanization and thus inhibitthe movement of theyarn' within thesurrounding vulcanizate.

In the manufacturing of fabric-reinforced flexible tubes, tubing ofresilient vulcanizable material is ordinarily drawn along an upwardpath, thus functioningas a moving mandrel, through a braiding machinewhich progressively forms a braid of tire cord along the exteriorsurface of the tubing. The yarns which form the braid are led off ofpackages divided into two groups which are traversed in oppositedirections along two interweaving sinuous paths extending in a circleabout the tubing. A common occurrence in the operation of such abraiding machine is the tendency for loops of yarns, as the yarnsrelax'when the'machine is stopped, to settle down around the lowerportions of the packages and under the lower end thereof when thebraiding machine is stopped; Such behavior is particularly true of yarnswhich have the smooth finish characteristic of continuous filamentyarns. Upon starting of the machine again, the loops of' yarn which havesettled under the ends of the package are drawn tightly aroundrespective supporting spindles and are broken as the machine takes up onsuch yarns. It is found that yarns which ar'e'roughened in accordancewith the present invention reduce this tendency of loops of yarn tobecome loosened and to drop downwardly along the side of a yarn packagesupported with its axis aligned vertically. Moreover, the braidof thetubing discharged by thebraiding machine is subject, during subsequenthandling, to'disarrangement of the yarns. Irregular spac ing. of yarnswithin the braid, of course, causes non uniform reinforcement of thevulcanizate, and the pro duction of :1 flexible tubular product ofinferior quality. It isfound, however, that fuzzy yarns hold theirdesired relative positions within the braid of the partly manufacturedproduct. in spite the disadvantages attendant to the use of continuousfilament yarns for reinforcing Yulcanizates or other fluid-imperviousproducts, the i nl2 dustry prefers to use such yarnsbecause of theirrelative low cost and superior strength.

It is an object of the present invention to'prov-ide an essentiallycontinuous filament yarn havingfilament portions protruding laterallyfrom the main body of the yarns. It is a further object to obtainprotruding'filament portions in accordance with the foregoing object: byabrasion. It is also an object to provide a multiple-ply yarn ofcontinuous filaments particularly adapted for forming the reinforcementbraid of vulcanized products of circular cross section. It is stillanother object to modify the construction of a conventional windingmachine by providing a device which rnay be readily substituted for anexisting portion of the machine. Still another object is to utilizenormal movements of the machine without adding to its mechanism toobtainsufiicient abrasive action on such larger type strands as thosecomprising multiple yarns or plies twisted together into a cord. Otherobjects, features, and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing description of the invention and the drawing relating theretoin which Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective view of apparatus forsimultaneously abrading the yarn and winding it into a supply package;

Fig; 2 illustrates in enlarged view a section of the product yarn; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified apparatus forabrading and winding a yarn.

To accomplish the objects of this invention, a textile strand,particularly a cord or yarn of a size suitable for incorporation intopneumatic tires orflexible conduitresistant to high pressure is woundinto packages on an apparatus comprising a yarn-traversing guide mountedfor reciprocation along an ambitextending' lengthwise of the windingspindle with the guide closely adjacent to, or actually in engagementwith, the surface of a package being formed on the spindle, an elongatedrounded abrasive surface extending in substantially fixed parallelrelationship with the ambit of the reciprocable guide, andayarn-tensioning device spaced laterally from the spindle and'angularlyabout the spindle axis from the radial dis position of the abrasivesurface with respect to such axis whereby yarn passing from thetensioning device to the guide engages said abrasive surface and istraversed lengthwise thereof during reciprocation of the guide. Statedotherwise, the abrasive surface, while disposed closely to the traverseguide, extends transversely in spaced relation to a straight lineextending between the traverse guide and the yarn discharging point ofthe tension device, and the abrasive surface faces away from such aline.

As shown in Fig. l, a supply package 4, supported on a stationary holder5 with the axis of the package extending upwardly, is unwound as thestrand 6 thereof passes in a direction extending generally axially fromthe package toward and through a tension device, such as theconventional grid tension device 7 shown; The yarn 6 passes therefromover an abrasion member supported fixedly on what is known as a traverseframe 1010f a conventional winding machine. The traverse frame functionsprimarily to support a strand guide 11" having. a reciprocating holder12 which moves along agroove formed'within the frame it) and extendinglongitudinally of the axis of spindle 14 on which a product package 15is Wound. As the conventional winding machine is usual ly arranged, theportion of the frame 10" providing a guide groove for the strandguide-holder 12 is aligned parallel with respect to the longitudinaldirection. oftheperipheral surface of the package core 16 onto: whichathe spindle 14 and, if the core 16 is conical, the frame portion forthe holder 12 is skewed with respect to the spindle axis to provide analignment thereof parallel to the core surface. A ball is normallyprovided on the frame and has a smooth polished surface along which theyarn may slide laterally as well as longitudinally with respect to itslinear movement as it advances thereover to become wound on the package15. The lengthwise direction of the bail is parallel to the ambit of theguide 11 so that the guide is spaced an equal distance from the bail atall portions of its ambit.

In accordance with the present invention, however, the bail or a portionof the machine analogous thereto is supplanted by the abrasive member 8.The abrasive member 8 may be supported by being secured to the frame 10,for example, by attachment to a surface thereof, such as thetrough-shaped surface 18, by screws 20 and 21, or by being cemented tosaid surface. The abrasion member may be constituted of any materialsuch as metal or stone having suitable hardness and surfacecharacteristics adapting it to sever filaments in the outer surface of ayarn passing thereover. Very satisfactory and inexpensive abrasion mediaare the synthetic carborundum stones and aluminum trioxide stones moldedin elongate shapes of uniform transverse cross section. A type of stonefound very satisfactory is the one shown which is simply asickle-sharpening stone of medium fineness and oval cross-section of thetype found generally in hardware stores. The fineness or the size of thestone selected will depend to a large extent upon the size of the yarnto be abraded, the extent of abrasion desired, and the tension to whichthe yarn is subjected. Ordinarily, the amount of abrasion desired willbe obtained through control of the tension. The tension is readilyregulated by adjustment of pressure with which the grids of the tensiondevice 7 are urged together.

Fig. 2 illustrates a section of the yarn 6 as it occurs in the prodouctpackages 5 after being abraded. As depicted, the yarn comprises twoplies of continuous filaments. Extending along the outer surface of thecord is an elongate surface 22 which extends in a helix of which onerevolution includes a plurality of twists in the plies of the cord.Extending laterally from the body of the cord within the surface 22 aremany filament portions which comprise portions of filaments adjacentpoints of rupture therein and portions of other filaments which havebeen pulled away from the body of the cord by its passage over the stone8. Under ordinary conditions, a microscope is required for clearobservation of the pattern of filament displacement shown in Fig. 2.

The helical surface 22 of displaced filaments, just described, isproduced by longitudinal as well as lateral movement of the cord 6across the stone, due to the simultaneous rotation of the package 15 asa drawing means and the reciprocation of the guide 1.1 lengthwise of theabrasive member 8. The spirality of the surface 22 may extend clockwisealong one portion of the cord and counterclockwise along another portionwith respect to the longitudinal direction of the cord due to thetendency of the yarn to roll on the member 8 and talre a false twist asthe yarn is traversed laterally of itself and lengthwise of the member 3by the guide 11 while also advancing longitudinally of itself.

Fig. 3 illustrates by perspective view portions of the winding spindle14 and the traverse frame of the conventional winder hereinbeforedescribed. The winder is modified in accordance with the presentinvention to provide an abrasive device which may be mounted in place ofthe bail normally mounted on such a winder. The bail has legs, usuallycylindrical, which extend into holes of the frame at A and B. Theabrasive device to be presently described comprises a cylindricalabrasive member 25, a supporting axle or shaft 26 therefor, and a pairof holders 27 and 28 through which the end portions of the axle extend.Each holder has a leg portion extending into the hole at A or B.

The axle 26 extends entirely through the abrasive member which may bemounted on the axle in non-rotatable fixed relation therewith, or inrotatable bearing relation therewith to allow the abrasive cylinder toturn with the longitudinal movement of the yarn 6 as it passesthereover. When the member 25 does not turn as a result of longitudinalmovement of the strand thereover, the strand, of course, reciprocateslengthwise of the package 15 and the strand is carried oversubstantially the length of the member 25. The pattern of abrasion alongthe outer surface of the strand remains the same as that produced by theembodiment of Fig. l. The rotatable type abrasive member has theadvantages of being self-cleaning to some extent and allowingsubstantially all of the surface of the abrasive member to be used.Somewhat more uniform wear and longer life of the rotatable member maybe obtained than in the non-rotatable type. However, a rotatable memberhaving a harsher or coarser surface may be used to compensate for theloss of abrasion by longitudinal movement of the strand thereover ascompared to that obtained in using the stationary of non-rotatable typeof abrasion member. The member 25 may be ordinarily manufactured as amolded tube or cylinder. The interior diameter of the member, whenrotatable, is large enough to accommodate a bearing 29 at each end ofthe tube which fits the exterior surface of the axle 26.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed it is to be understood that changes and variations may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as definedin the appended claims.

I claim:

1. in apparatus comprising a winding spindle, a yarntraversing guidemounted for reciprocation along an ambit extending lengthwise of thespindle and adjacent the surface of a yarn wound about the spindle, andyarntensioning and guiding means spaced and positioned laterally fromthe spindle; means having an elongate abrasive surface disposed inadjacent substantially fixed relation to said ambit, the lengthwisedirection of: the abrasive surface being substantially parallel to thatof the ambit and the transverse direction of said surface extending awayfrom the ambit and the spindle, the longitudinal direction of theabrasive surface extending transversely in spaced relation to a straightline extending between the guide and a yarn-discharging point of saidtensioning and guiding means, the surface facing away from said line.

2. In apparatus comprising a winding spindle, a yarntraversing guidemounted for reciprocation along an ambit extending lengthwise of thespindle and adjacent a surface of a yarn wound about the spindle, andyarntensioning and guiding means spaced and positioned laterally fromthe spindle; means having an elongate abrasive surface disposed insubstantially fixed adjacent relation to said ambit at a greater radialdistance from the spindle than the ambit, the lengthwise direction ofthe abrasive surface being substantially parallel to that of the ambitand the transverse direction of said surface extending away from theambit and the spindle, the longitudinal direction of the abrasivesurface extending transversely in spaced relation to a straight lineextending between the guide and a yarn-discharging point of saidtensioning and guiding means, the surface facing away from said line.

3. In apparatus comprising a winding spindle, a yarntraversing guidemounted for reciprocation along an ambit extending lengthwise of thespindle and adjacent the surface of a yarn wound about the spindle, andyarn-tensioning and guiding means spaced and positioned laterally fromthe spindle; means having an elongate abrasive surface disposed adjacentto, and in substantially fixed relation to said ambit, the lengthwisedirection of the abrasive surface being substantially parallel to thatof the ambit and the transverse direction of said surface extendingtoward and away from the ambit and the spindle; the yarn-tensioning andguiding means, the abrasive surface, and the guide defining duringoperation of the apparatus a non-rectilinear path for passage of theyarn from a yarn supply to the winding spindle, the abrasive surfaceextending transversely in spaced relation to a straight line extendingbetween the guide and a yarn-discharging point of said tensioning andguiding means, the surface facing,

away from said line, said abrasive surface being convex in itstransverse direction and disposed to place different transverse portionsof said surface in tangency to portions of the path extending therefrom.

4. In apparatus comprising a winding spindle, a yarntraversing guidemounted for reciprocation along an ambit extending lengthwise of thespindle and adjacent the surface of a yarn wound about the spindle, andyarn tensioning and guiding means spaced and positioned laterally fromthe spindle; an elongate stone disposed adjacent the ambit having amedium grain finished in the range of 30 to 120 supported insubstantially fixed relation to said ambit, the lengthwise direction ofthe surface of the stone engaged by the strand being substantiallyparallel to that of the ambit and the transverse direction of saidsurface extending toward and away from the ambit and the spindle, saidsurface being rounded with respect to its transverse direction andextending transversely in spaced relation to a straight line'extendingbetween the guide and a yarn discharging point of said means, thesurface facing away from said line.

5. In apparatus comprising a winding spindle, a yarntraversing guidemounted for reciprocation along an ambit extending lengthwise of thespindle and adjacent the surface of a yarn wound about the spindle, theyarntensioning and guiding means spaced and positioned laterally fromthe spindle; an elongate stone member, and a standard for supporting thestone member in a position adjacent the ambit which aligns thelengthwise direction of that surface of the member which is normallyengaged by a yarn passing from said means to the winding spindlesubstantially parallel to the length of the ambit and at a greaterradial distance from the spindle than the ambit, the transversedirection of said surface extending away from the ambit and toward saidmeans, the yarn-engaging surface of the member being rounded in itstransverse direction and extending transversely in spaced relation to astraight line extending between the guide and said means, the surfacefacing away from said line.

6. In apparatus comprising a winding spindle, a yarntraversing guide, atraverse frame having a pivotal axis spaced from, and extendingsubstantially parallel to, the spindle axis, a yarn collector ofcircular cross section associated coaxially with the spindle, said framehaving a guideway for the yarn-traversing guide extending parallel to alongitudinal portion of the circular surface, said guideway definingareciprocal ambit of the guide parallel to said portion of the circularsurface, means for urging the guide and a portion of the traverse framesupporting said guide toward the spindle and the ambit, andyarntensioning and guiding means spaced and positioned laterally fromthe spindle; an elongate abrasive member mounted on the traverse frameadjacent the ambit with the lengthwise direction of the member inapproximately parallel relation to said ambit, said member beingdisposed on the frame radially outwardly with respect to the spindleaxis beyond said ambit, the abrasive surface extending transversely inspaced relation to a straight line extending between the guide and saidmeans, the surface facing away from said line.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,184,254 Koster Dec. 19, 1939 2,234,947 Clark Mar. 18, 1941 2,358,854Elvin et al Sept. 26, 1944 2,363,205 Smith Nov. 21, 1944 2,596,306Storey May 13, 1952 2,599,256 Hartley et a1 June 3, 19 52

